Redesign of the Alfa Romeo Twin Spark CON ROD using Topology Optimization

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Function:Connecting rod transmits motion from the piston to the crankshaft.Reason for Design:The CON ROD for the Alfa Romeo was chosen, because it is a great functional part of the Alfa Twin Spark 75 2.0 engine which could use some improvements in the mass and material usage. The part is currently being made from forged steel and it is a H-Beam rod giving its great strength. Design Tools Used:The redesign and topology optimization was made with the Fusion360 Software.Topology Optimization Result:The new design still maintains the H-Beam structure, but reduces the weight of the entire CON ROD by 122grams with a more aesthetic form.Room for Improvement:Improvement could be made generally in number of produced machine parts. The best part about it is that those small replacement parts could be printed easily in workshops and garages.Relevance to proposed solutions in previous chapter:It demonstrates the possibilities of a revolution in the spare parts industry. The revolution is in the fact that spare parts are 3D printed when needed, instead of being mass produced as is currently practised.It uses less material and so it weighs less and costs less to produce.It is 3D printable with metal (using DMLS, SLS and SLM methods) allowing for internal lattice structures.Problem Statement:Large amounts of used cars that are written off in Europe are shipped to Africa for a ‘second life’. This results in a high demand for spare parts to sustain this life.Target Market: Automotive Aftermarket/Spare Parts IndustriesMarket Size: The global automotive aftermarket size was valued at USD 369.2 billion in 2018 and is anticipated to expand at a (Compound Annual Growth Rate)CAGR of 3.9% from 2019 to 2025.Current Solutions:Subtractive Manufacturing/CNC MillingCasting and MoldingForming and ShearingSolution:My solution is the generative design, topological optimization and use of Metal and Composite additive manufacturing(3d Printing) of Automotive spare-parts thereby making manufacturing cheaper, more functional and resource efficient by mass/weight reduction.Additive Manufacturing allows for distributed localized manufacturing of spare parts in many more categories than the automotive after-market.This in turn will usher-in the 4th industrial revolution to Africa.School: Landmark University, NigeriaCourse of Study: Mechanical Engineering